Archive for the ‘Crane-Simplex’ tag

My mother was rearranging the bookshelves in the den at home when she pulled out this 1916 Crane-Simplex Model 5 owner’s handbook, which my father picked up at an auction many years ago. Being the family’s car nutcase, the book came to me. I thought that it might be something fun to share.

One of the neatest things about this book is its three fold-out illustration pages; one of these is torn, but the information is still intact.

The level of detail in the illustration is fantastic. Check out that chassis and its massive 564-cu.in. (9.2-liter!!), 110hp L-head inline-six engine.

The engine was cast in two pairs of three cylinders, typical practice for the time, while the transmission was a four-speed manual.

The third fold-out shows the car’s wiring diagram, which is surprisingly complex (12 fuses!) for 1916.

Of course, everything your chauffeur will need to know to properly maintain your fine automobile is contained within. Words to live by: “Remember that nothing can be obtained by excessive racing of the motor.”

And the warranty disclaimer reads pretty much exactly like that of a modern car.

I have but one bone to pick with Keith Marvin’s article from SIA #56, April 1980: At the end, he argues that the day of the custom car was restricted only to the pre-Depression era. Not so at all, as the Internet has so solidly elucidated us over the last decade or so. One-off cars, both factory-built and eccentric-built, span automotive history, from the first horseless carriage to today. Still, Marvin highlights several unusual and noteworthy vehicles from a variety of sources.

By the way, anybody who’s been to Hershey the last few years has seen the 1936 White mentioned in the article. Are any of the others still around?